


The Key to Someday

by MissScarlett75



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Stydia, Wedding fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-11 22:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4455470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissScarlett75/pseuds/MissScarlett75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there’s one thing Lydia has learned since finding herself involved in the shenanigans of the McCall pack, it’s to always be prepared.  And Lydia Martin is prepared for everything. Well, almost everything.  Lydia thinks the wedding her and Stiles are attending will just be a fun little get-a-way, but the weekend becomes much more than Lydia and Stiles could ever have imagined, raising certain questions that could possibly compromise their relationship. Will it serve to make their bond stronger? Or will it just cause everything to fall apart? Because, after all, girls like Lydia just don’t go for guys like Stiles, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 “Are you packing for a wedding or the apocalypse?” Stiles asked Lydia, raising his eyebrows at the suitcase on her bed.   Clothes were spilling out of it in a haphazard pile onto the bedspread and then the floor.  “I mean, seriously, we are only staying one night, two maximum, right?”

“Oh, Stiles,” Lydia said, shaking her head. “After everything we’ve been through, I’ve learned to always be prepared. _This_ is being prepared.”  She gestured to the suitcase and looked up at him.

“You have _two_ suitcases?” Stiles’ gaze was now on a closed suitcase right next to the full one.

“No! Despite the mess, I know how to pack.  One is for you.”

“One is...it’s mine? How did you…?”  Stiles’ brow furrowed.

“Your dad let me in your house.” Lydia shrugged.  She wanted to help Stiles pack for the wedding. That _is_ what girlfriends did, right? So she literally went to his house and the Sheriff let her in anyway, despite Stiles not being there.

“I should have known,” Stiles said, shaking his head and wandering over to her window in a poor effort to hide his clear annoyance.

“Yeah, well, I figured if I didn’t pack for you, you would end up packing the wrong stuff, cause you’re a guy, so I went over to your house, but being as I still don’t have a _key_...” Lydia narrowed her eyes at him.  Stiles’ shoulders tensed, as if sensing Lydia’s laser eye focus upon his back.  

“Right, about that...Umm...let’s change the subject, shall we?” Stiles cleared his throat nervously and turned back to her.  Lydia raised her eyebrows. “I’ll get you a key, ok? Eventually…” He rubbed a hand over his face, taking in the sight of the suitcases on Lydia’s bed once more.

“Yeah, whatever.”  Lydia attempted to hide her own annoyance by folding the remaining clothes into a neat pile. She couldn’t understand why Stiles still hadn’t given her a key to his house. They hung out all the time and were always at each others’ places. Lydia had given him her key a long time ago. To her, it just made sense. Her mom was always out, either at work or busy screwing the newest guy in her office at the nearest luxury hotel.  So why not give Stiles the key? Lydia was the only one really living at the house and she figured he should have one.

Lydia tried not to let this whole thing upset her and went back to packing, while Stiles opened his suitcase.  He sorted through the pile of clothes Lydia had picked out for him.

“Wow, you were...incredibly thorough...I mean, you packed an awful lot of my boxers.” Lydia had packed four pairs. Yeah, they were probably only staying one night, but you never know right? What if they decided to go on an impromptu road trip or something? It was a weekend alone with Stiles and his Jeep; there were endless possibilities.

“Yeah, so? Always good to have extra underwear.”

“Lydia, you went through my underwear drawer.”

“And your point is?”

“It’s my underwear, Lydia! These are my boxers!  I feel kind of violated here, you know.”  Stiles clutched a pair of boxers in his hands and waved them around.  He seemed a little freaked out, which irritated Lydia.

“Stiles, we literally rip each other’s clothes off practically every day, including such things as each other’s _underwear_ and you are telling me you feel violated by me merely going through your said underwear drawer?”  Lydia placed a hand on her hip and made a face at him.

“Well, when you put it that way….”  He began defensively, then paused.  There was a flicker in his eyes that Lydia couldn’t quite read.  She shook her head and started packing away some toiletries she had laid out on her bed.  “...it’s kind of hot…you know...” Stiles’ voice sounded different. Lydia stopped.

She knew that Stiles felt the tension in the room and this was his way of moving on from their little rift.  Stiles was only just becoming more confident in all things regarding sex between them and she didn’t know exactly how she felt about him using sex as a way to settle the matter.  Regardless, Lydia felt herself flush with excitement at his words.  She decided right then and there to just give up on both the key and boxer issues. At this point, it just wasn’t worth it.

She whirled around and Stiles was already pressed up against her.

“Glad I’m not the only one,” Lydia said, as Stiles gently pushed her onto the bed.  The suitcase fell to the floor with a loud bang.  

“Oof!” Stiles said as he awkwardly fell on top of her, legs thrashing, kicking the other suitcase by accident. Typical.  It fell to the floor, this time louder than the first.

She flinched. “What?” Stiles said. He smiled against her neck.  “Your mother’s not home or anything. She never is.”

“True.” Lydia shook away the worry and felt herself melt as Stiles’ kisses moved from her mouth back towards her neck.  She reached up and ran her hands through his hair.

Minutes later, however, and: “Lydia? What is going on up there?”  Lydia heard her mother’s footsteps on the stairs.

“Spoke too soon,” Lydia mumbled.  Stiles groaned and Lydia reluctantly shoved him off of her a few seconds before her mother showed up at her door.

“What is this?” Her mother asked, arms crossed as she surveyed the messy bedroom and both Lydia and Stiles, who made sure that plenty of space stood between them. Lydia silently prayed her lipstick remained intact and her hair wasn’t mussed. She tended to keep her sexual escapades under wraps from her mother and didn’t want that to change.

“Nothing, Mom, we’re just packing for Tara's wedding,” Lydia said.  Lydia realized too late that the two suitcases were open, tops down on her bedroom floor. Oops. Her mother didn’t seem to notice, however.

“Right. I’m not going to that, actually,” her mother said, “Too much work. But get her a present from both of us, okay?”

“Already did,” Lydia said.  It took everything in her not to roll her eyes. Of course her mother couldn’t be bothered going to a wedding, no matter if it was for family or not. Sex/work always came first, especially when the two were related.

“Great! Have fun you two,” her mother said, giving them a suspicious look before leaving.  Uh-oh. Her expression certainly said it all.  Her mother definitely noticed more than she had initially let on.

“Oh God,” Lydia said, “my mom totally knew we were minutes from having sex here. So awkward.”

Stiles shrugged. “Who says that means we have to stop?”

Lydia gave him a look. “Are you serious? My mom is actually home for once. If she heard the suitcases falling, then who knows what else she’ll hear?  I like to keep my personal life separate from my home life, in case you haven’t noticed.  I know she doesn’t look it, but my mom is a mess, I don’t want her more involved in my life than she already is.”

Stiles chuckled. “This coming from the girl who made out with Aiden in coach’s office all the time and who makes out with _me_ in the supply closet?  Not exactly subtle, especially counting all the times you were caught..”

“This is different and you know it.”

“Define different.” Stiles smirked and Lydia made a face at him in response.  Stiles ignored her and grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers.  He had a firm grip on her hand and Lydia couldn’t pull away, even if she wanted to. But she didn’t. It still felt good.

“I’m serious, Stiles!” Lydia exclaimed. “I’m not doing this here!” She tried her best to ignore what the mere touch of his fingers was doing to her.  Warmth from his touch spread from his fingertips and up her arms, a silent kind of caress.

“Ok, fine, fine. How about we just take this back to my place? My dad’s working late tonight, he just texted me.”

Lydia hesitated. Was sex worth going all the way to Stiles’ house for? She shook her head. Was that even a question? Duh, of course.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Lydia said as they both stumbled out the door, Stiles still tightly clutching her hand.

A while later, Stiles pulled into his driveway. To Lydia, it couldn’t come soon enough.  She practically leapt out of the Jeep and if Stiles hadn’t simultaneously bumped his head and then got his foot caught coming out of the front seat, then he would probably made it to the front door first. Lydia hopped from foot to foot with anticipation as she waited for Stiles to join her.

“If I had a key, I would be inside and ready, you know,” she said.

“Yeah, I know,” Stiles said flatly, still rubbing his head where he bumped it.  He stuck his hand in his pocket, coming up empty. Then he tried the other pocket, taking out his ring of keys and searching through each key on it.

“Huh, that’s weird,” he said. “the house key isn’t on it.”

“How did you get into the house before? I find it hard to believe it would fall off a key ring like that.”  Lydia placed a hand on her hip.

“Um…” Stiles looked down at the keys in his hand. He had his adorable thinking face on. His brows furrowed, eyes squinted and mouth set in a firm line, deep in thought.  

“You’re going to have to get the spare key you have in the back,” Lydia said matter-of-factly. Sometimes Stiles could be so clueless.

“Uhh...right.  About that…” Lydia watched him closely. Recognition slowly registered across Stiles’ face.  He suddenly wasn’t quite meeting her eyes.  

“Stiles…”  He continued to ignore her until she was standing right up in his direct line of vision.  Lydia was glad she wore her heels today for this very reason.  All the more to be intimidating when it came to such a situation like this.   “Where is the spare key?”

"Ugh….there is no spare key anymore. I, um, gave it to Malia when we were dating.  She lost it, so I then gave her my own house key.  I guess she still has it. I certainly don’t. Every time I’ve come home, my dad was around.”

Lydia opened her mouth to yell at him about this when he added, “ Plus, on the few times he wasn’t, I climb in through my window. How else do you think I get all those bruises? It’s quite a struggle, actually.  Certainly takes me a while.” As if she really cared about how he got into his house now that he didn’t have a legitimate key.

“You WHAT?” Lydia was livid. “Malia has it? _Malia_ of all people?”

“Yeah, I realize now I never got it back from her…” Stiles ran his fingers through his hair.

“You realize this now, huh? Well, isn’t that so helpful?” Lydia glared at him.

Stiles was silent.  “I’m going to try and call her, see if she can give it back or something.”

“Sure thing,” Lydia said. “Go ahead and call her. I’m sure she’s free at, oh, 9:15 pm on a Thursday? Malia is probably pre-gaming right now. She goes out clubbing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. She follows the college schedule. Everyone knows that.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Stiles mumbled. He called her and then got her voicemail. Lydia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

“Ok, I’ll try Scott, then,” he said. “I know he has a key.”  Stiles called Scott and also got his voicemail. Stiles then tried Kira next, in the hopes she was hanging out with Scott or Malia and didn’t get through either.

“What is going on here?” Frustrated, Stiles shoved his phone back in his pocked.  “Is there a supernatural orgy that we don’t know about or something?  More importantly, why weren’t were invited?” Stiles kicked the front door and promptly flinched.  He grabbed his foot, moaning in pain and hopping around, added,“Seriously, how is no one answering their phones?”

Lydia was only half listening to him. By now, all signs of lust between them had evaporated. She was angry at what it all meant.  The fact that Malia had been given a key so early in her relationship with Stiles _and_ that she still had it.

She paced in front of Stiles.   “I just--I just can’t believe this!  You dated Malia for three months and she gets a key to your house. But we date for six months, _double_ the time, and no key! No key!  Not to mention that she still _has_ this key. I don’t understand! Please explain this to me?!?”

“I’m sorry, Lydia, believe me. I forgot. I really did,” Stiles said lamely. He looked pleadingly at her.

“That’s all you have to say about this?” Lydia asked. Her voice increased in volume word by word.

“I’m sorry, I really am.  Look, I’ll make it up to you somehow, I swear. I’ll get the key back from Malia, I’ll give you a key--”

“No, just forget it,” Lydia said. She had said all she needed to say. “Take me home, Stiles. Now.”

“But--”

“Take. Me. Home.”  She could tell that Stiles wanted to say more but knew that it would prove worthless at this point in time. He definitely knew her all too well.

Stiles drove her home in silence. When they finally arrived at her house, Stiles tried to explain again.

“Just forget it,” Lydia said, lifting her hand the minute he opened his mouth. “Pick me up here  at around 3:30 and we’ll leave directly from my house for the rehearsal dinner. Don’t forget anything else you want packed in your suitcase as well.”

“So we’re still going tomorrow?” Stiles asked. She could see the hope in his eyes.

“Yes, we’re still going,” she said curtly. “See you tomorrow.”  She made to get out of the car.

“Wait, Lydia,” Stiles said. Something in his voice made Lydia stay where she was and look back at him. “I’m sorry. I truly am. I just want you to know that.” He swallowed. “I’m still working on this relationship thing.  I pretty much suck at it, I know.”

Lydia softened. “I know,” she said. “I know.” She gave a small nod and then left the car, feeling Stiles’ eyes on her back as she did so.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

“Hey,” Lydia said, sliding into the passenger seat of Stiles’ Jeep the next day.  They were leaving for her cousin Tara’s wedding, where Lydia was a bridesmaid.  Lydia told Tara about Stiles, who let him attend with no questions asked. Tonight was the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner afterward. Because it was three hours away, Stiles and Lydia were going together. Tara was perfectly ok with Stiles being there for the rehearsal dinner, for which Lydia was grateful.

“Hi,” Stiles said tentatively. Their argument from last night still hung heavily in the air between them.

“Look, let’s just forget about last night--” Lydia began. She just wanted to start over; she hated fighting with Stiles. Plus, their fight was kind of stupid. Seriously, over something so small as a key? Really? But at the same time, it _was_ kind of a big deal in a relationship.

“You said it,” Stiles interjected.

“I already said my piece anyway.”  Lydia sniffed.

“Same here.”  Stiles stared at her, his eyes softening as they met hers. He gently placed his hand behind her head and brought her toward him for a kiss.  A kiss that Lydia felt all the way down to her toes and she savored the feeling as Stiles pressed his lips to hers once more.

Lydia was glad they were both willing to put this rift behind them. While it hurt she didn’t have Stiles’ house key, he didn’t want to give it to her just yet and she had to accept that.  

“Ok,” Stiles said, leaning back and rubbing his hands together. “Wedding, here we come.” He put his key in the ignition.

“What makes you think we are taking your car?”

“First of all, YOU came into the Jeep of your own accord--”

“Because you were just sitting here in the Jeep all this time and made no move to leave it, and I was wondering WHY--”

“Second,” Stiles continued as if he hadn’t heard Lydia, “my Jeep is perfect for long road trips. It’s seen me through everything and hasn’t let me down.”

“Your argument sucks,” Lydia said, “what about Mexico?”

“I blame that entirely on the berserkers,” Stiles said, “obviously.”

“Right,” Lydia said, “because the fact that your car is over 30 years old is completely invalid.”

“Ok, what about this one? I wasn’t going to let the love of my life drive 3 hours in California traffic right after a long school day, which for you, consisted of two exams back to back, AP Chemistry and AP English, plus that dumb lake pollution project presentation for AP Environmental Science--” To which Lydia blurted, “Hey, it’s not dumb!” Stiles just continued, “And yes, I memorize your schedule every week, I look in your assignment book.”

Lydia tilted her head, pretending this statement required deep thought. “Cute, I’ll give you that,” Lydia said, “though don’t think this lets you off the hook just yet.  Why don’t you just drive my car?”

“Really? You really think I’d drive your car?  I don’t drive anything else but this Jeep right here,” Stiles said. He patted the dashboard fondly.

“I don’t know what you love more, me or your Jeep at this point,” Lydia said flatly.

“Fine,” Stiles said, hitting the steering wheel in mock frustration. It took everything Lydia had not to burst out laughing right then and there.  He was just so cute _and_ funnylike this. “I was going to hold off to do more of this until later, but alas, you leave me no choice…”  

Quickly, he snapped off his seat belt and with surprising dexterity and swiftness for someone who trips over his own two feet most days, he was on top of her and fiercely kissing her.

Lydia laughed against his lips. “Now this is better,” she said, “much better.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck as Stiles pushed her up against the passenger door.  No matter the awkwardness of the position, the fact that every single part of Stiles pressed against her own was the only thing that mattered at this point. She sighed.  She could never get sick of this. Never.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Stiles said a little while later when they both came up for air, “as much as I would love to have a quickie in the Jeep, we should really have left 15 minutes ago.”

“Oh, right.” Lydia forced herself to pull her arms away. She flushed, whether it was from all the kissing or embarrassment that this was all it took for her to give in to Stiles, she didn’t know.

“So, Jeep it is?” He gave her the thumbs up.

“I guess so,” Lydia rolled her eyes.  “But don’t think I’m happy about this.”

 “And away we go!”  Stiles grinned at her and Lydia found herself grinning back. She still wasn’t fond of the idea of taking the Jeep. But even though she wanted to take her car, it was impossible for her to do so. Physically impossible, that is. That intense but short lived make out session with Stiles had turned her legs to jelly.

 

They had been on the road for an hour and only had about a half hour left to go until they reached the hotel when Stiles pulled the car to the side of the road.

“Something’s wrong.” The Jeep had started to make an odd pinging noise that was still audible over the radio. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he stared out the windshield at the hood. Smoke now came out of it.

“You think?”  Lydia bit her lip nervously. This was not a good sign, that was for sure.

“Let me see what’s up.” Stiles quickly bounded out of the car. “I’m sure we’ll be out of here in no time.”  Lydia seriously doubted this, but managed to keep quiet.  Stiles didn’t always like her cynicism, which was ironic considering he was the same way. But the thing was, they were cynical about different things.  Stiles remained optimistic regarding anything involving his beloved blue Jeep, no matter the obvious circumstances.

Lydia watched as he lifted up the hood. She couldn’t help but admire the way his arms looked in the process and caught a glimpse of the veins bulging as he gripped the top of the sheet of metal.

“There’s an issue with one of the thingies here. Is it supposed to be connected to another thingie?” He called out, obviously not expecting a real answer for not only did what he said make no sense whatsoever, but he disappeared underneath the hood a mere second later.

Lydia rolled her eyes and didn’t respond right away. Then she had an idea. “Stiles, I _totally_ know what’s wrong!”  She called out the window. She couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s actually _really_ obvious.”

“Wait, really?  All the way from over there? What is it?” Stiles peered at her over the hood.

“I was kidding.” Lydia laughed. She enjoyed teasing him, much to Stiles’ annoyance.

“Thank you...for that,” Stiles said flatly, going back under the hood of the car and bumping his head in the process. “ _Ow._ ”

It had started to drizzle and Lydia didn’t want to leave the car but knew she had no choice. She had to see what Stiles was talking about if they had any hope of getting to LA tonight for the wedding.  

Flinching, she stepped out of the car and joined Stiles under the hood. Lydia already felt her hair matting against her scalp and face from the rain.

“See those thingies...It shouldn’t be like that. I don’t think…” Stiles faltered. They both stared at the mess of wires and plastic tubes that made up the architecture of the car’s hood.

“Obviously,” she said.

“Obviously what, exactly? You are going to have be more descriptive here.”  Stiles put his hands on his hips and expectantly looked at her.

“Those are the HT or high tension leads, as they are called, and each have their own leads that contain wires and goes through to the engine which is connected to the battery terminal.  These HT leads send an electric current to the combustion chamber within the engine and an electric spark ignites a compressed fuel and air mixture within. These leads should be insulated...”

Stiles stared at her. “Err...what?  Sorry, not too good with the car talk. “

Lydia sighed impatiently.  “Also known as spark plugs, I’m talking about sparks plugs, Stiles! They deteriorate over time, you are supposed to get them replaced.”

“Ahh...I see,” Stiles said, “I may or may not have heard my Dad mention something about them a couple of weeks ago.”

He gulped as Lydia fixed him with a steely gaze.

“On the bright side, it appears you’ve been brushing up on your car knowledge,” Stiles said. “That’s my girl!” He clapped her on the back and froze as Lydia immediately pulled away.

“If by brushing up you mean also reading the entire care manual of a certain blue 1976 Jeep CJ5 with a 3 speed manual, then yes, I certainly did.  I wasn’t going to get stranded in Mexico again, that’s for sure.”

“Soo...what should we do now? It’s not like we can fix it right here and now.”

Lydia shrugged. “Call AAA?”

“Guess so,” Stiles said.  While Stiles made the call from a few yards away, where he discovered the best service, Lydia examined her reflection in the sideview mirror.  She was a mess after standing out in the steady rain for this period of time.  Her foundation had slowly washed away, revealing patches of her pale white skin.   But the most important thing was the state of her hair. It was bad. Like hair emergency bad, especially if she was attending a big gathering in an hour or two.

“My hair!” She wailed, turning her head in different directions. The humidity and rain had caused her hair to frizz and expand.  Stiles immediately appeared at her side at her outburst, just ending the phone call as he did so.

“Oh, God, Lydia, I shouldn’t have let you stand out here in the first place. Let’s get you back to the car, we have to wait for AAA anyway.”

Lydia inspected herself one last time and gave a long sigh. “Honestly, don’t worry about it, it’s a lost cause by now.” She tried not to be too concerned, she was always prepared in case of a beauty disaster.  She may be able to twist her hair into a somewhat acceptable hair do at the very least.  Plus, it was just a rehearsal dinner after all. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

“What about your dress?”

“Oh, well, it’s ruined, too and will have to be majorly dry cleaned.  But of course I brought back up dresses, who do you think I am?” She grinned at him.

Stiles shook his head, smiling. “I should have known you would be prepared for such an incident.  I mean, you _did_ pack me all those boxers.”

It started raining even harder. Stiles looked at Lydia, eyebrows raised, as if asking her, “What you even still doing out here?”  Lydia suddenly got an idea. She didn’t want to go back inside the car just yet. After all, she was already wet.  Why not take advantage of the situation?

She walked up to Stiles and tilted her head. “Can I have this dance?”

“D-dance? What...what are you talking about?” Stiles squinted at her, not quite comprehending that Lydia Martin was willing to stay out in the rain for longer than absolutely necessary.  All merely for a dance?

“Come on, Stiles! Dance with me!” Lydia coaxed.

Stiles stood there. He tilted his head. “And I thought I had seen it all,” he said slowly.  “You know, since I’m best friends with a teen wolf and my girlfriend being a banshee and all. Apparently, I was wrong.” He still didn’t budge, but instead laughed. “Sometimes I wonder.  I really do…” He got this dazed far off look on his face for a moment.

“Dance with me,” Lydia now demanded.  She stuck out her hand and shook it impatiently.

Stiles shook his head, finally focusing on her again. “Ah, how the tables have turned. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday where _you_ were refusing to dance with _me_.”  

Lydia remembered that night very well, most particularly every word that Stiles had said to her to get her on the dance floor with him.

 “It’s funny, isn’t it? How things change,”  Lydia began.  “I just never thought...I never expected that anyone would really care enough to notice these things about me and actually _like_ that stuff…I was just caught so off guard.  That you, Stiles, _did_ like those things about me.  So in the end, going against my better judgment and going to that dance in the first place, was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life…”

Whoops. Did she really just blurt that out?

Stiles stared at her, open mouthed. He tried to formulate words but nothing came out.

Then she poked Stiles in the stomach, who barely let out a yelp. “Come on, Stiles. I say we’re even now in the whole begging to dance with the other department, right?”

Stiles dazed, eventually obliged. He slowly took her hand and drew her closer by her waist with the other hand, a stunned expression remaining on his face.

“I probably wouldn’t even be here right here if it weren’t for Allison.  I owe her so much for my happiness right now,” Lydia said.

Stiles cleared his throat, still seemingly amazed at Lydia’s little confession. “Yeah, Allison always seemed to be rooting for us.”

“That she did,” Lydia said.  She pressed her face against Stiles’ shoulder, thinking about Allison. Lydia would forever be in awe of Allison’s intellect. Sure, it wasn’t like Lydia’s genius, but still, Allison had a kind of wit and special sense about people, something that Lydia didn’t have.

They danced for several minutes, enjoying the quiet and the stillness of the world around them.

“Just like in the movies,” Lydia said. The rain was still coming down. Not that it mattered that much, they were already wet.

“Yeah, except what the movies don’t show is how freezing it is,” he pointed out.

Lydia laughed. “You’re always cold.”

“Yeah, well...ever since the possession, my body temperature has never been quite the same.  I’m just always cold,” Stiles said quietly.  “I can’t get warm, it seems.”

_Oh god,_ Lydia thought. She had no idea; Stiles had never told her. There was an awkward pause.

“But, you know...I don’t have a gorgeous head of long red hair to keep me warm 24/7 either.” Stiles grinned at her, and the mood immediately lifted. He pushed back a lock of her hair.

Lydia blushed. “That’s certainly true, but you have something even better.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” Stiles asked.

“Me.  And don’t you ever forget it.”   She reached up and pulled his head down to kiss him.  There was something so beautiful about just the two of them, dancing and kissing by the Jeep, with the rain pouring down.  All the noise of the world was deafened by the sound of rain hitting the pavement around them and it felt like they were the only two that existed. Lydia loved that feeling. Just her and Stiles and the world. It was perfect.  That is, until the coldness seeping into their skin was too much to bear.

“Ok, seriously, I think I lost all feelings in my hands.”  Stiles stepped back, holding out his hands, which he could barely move, they were so stiff with cold.

“To the jeep it is!”  Lydia said, grabbing his hand, which was much colder than hers was and leading him to the Jeep.  They settled into the back seats, where they had more room and could lounge with comfort wrapped under spare wool blankets Stiles had stashed in the back.

“Unzip me?” Lydia turned around. His hands touched her bare skin as he fiddled with the zipper.  “Oh!” Stiles hands were still freezing, even though they were huddled together, under the multiple blankets.

“Oh my god, what is it? Is it a spider?” He immediately started scouring the jeep for any of the uninvited guests.

“No,” Lydia said, rolling her eyes.  “You are still really cold. Now, come here and let’s get that shirt off.”

“Ugh, it’s stuck,” Stiles said, pulling at the white collared shirt.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do about this good shirt and pants.  It’ll be wrinkled beyond belief.  I suppose they might have an iron around somewhere...I just don’t want to wear my wedding suit tonight. But that’s all I have left that’s nice.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Lydia assured him.

“Wait, why?”

“Because I’m such a good girlfriend, I packed an extra collared shirt and pants, in addition to my own stuff.  Plus, it’s just for the rehearsal dinner anyway.  It’s not like it’s that critical to get dressed up to this thing.”

There was a silence as Stiles stared at her. He grabbed her by the arms and earnestly said,“You’re incredible.  Just incredible.  This is the only explanation I can come up with for all of this.” He paused and then added shyly, “But I can’t help but hope you are also doing this because I’m such a good boyfriend?”  He cocked his head and winked.

“Of course you are. I wouldn’t be with you if you weren’t,” Lydia said, smirking at Stiles’ face as she slipped out of her dress. “ But do you know what else qualifies as being a good boyfriend?”  

“No, what?” Stiles asked rather hesitantly as if he already knew where this was leading and didn’t know how he could measure up to Lydia’s expectations at this time.

“Helping your girlfriend out of her wet underwear,” Lydia said. She pulled down one of her bra straps.  Stiles’ eyes were immediately drawn to her chest.

“Another new bra?” Stiles asked.  “You certainly seem to...uh, go through them fast…”

Lydia laughed. “I like bras. And I get bored with my same ones. So then I buy more.” She shrugged. “Plus, doesn’t it make things more interesting?”

Stiles cleared his throat.. “They sure do.  And this one’s certainly...different.  Does it open in the front?”

Lydia smiled. “It sure does,” she said, guiding Stiles’ hand to her chest and the front clasp.  She sighed with delight as she felt Stiles’ hands on her.

“Are you sure you want to do this right now?” Stiles asked. He was nervous.  But then, even though they have been together for a while, he still got a little nervous about things like this.

“Is that seriously a legitimate question?” She said. That was all the encouragement Stiles needed as he leaned forward to kiss her.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Stiles, I think I love you.”  They were now currently lying beside each other in the back of the Jeep after quite a productive half hour of _you know_.  Luckily, the spare blankets in the back were perfect as padding for the hard surfaces of the Jeep.  It was not exactly easy to have sex in the back of one, that was for sure.  Lydia had her arms wrapped around Stiles’ chest, head on his shoulder, while Stiles was lazily drawing circles on her arm.   

When Stiles heard those words, he promptly stopped. _Uh oh._ Lydia hadn’t meant to say that aloud, they just sort of slipped out.  Lydia bit her lip, feeling Stiles tense underneath her..  

“Really, Lydia? You _think_ you love me? Honestly, I’m flattered, I really am, cause I _know_ I love you.”  Yeah, he was pissed. That was snarky rude Stiles right there.  

Lydia flinched. She felt horrible for saying those words in the first place.  But hearing Stilles’ response made it worse.  She sat up and forced herself to look up at him.  Their eyes met and it could have been her imagination, but she saw a flash of hurt in them.

To her surprise, Stiles suddenly laughed softly, now gently running his hand through her hair. “I admit, it hurts a little bit hearing that. But then, it’s not like my feelings for you were ever a secret, really.”           

Lydia swallowed and watched Stiles struggle to hide the rejection that showed plainly on his face.

Stiles shrugged. “Besides...it’s nothing a little more of this can’t fix,” he said, gently covering her neck in kisses.           

Lydia breathed a sigh of relief. But there was a kind of gnawing in her stomach that wouldn’t go away. It was like the guilt was eating away at her, working it’s way up to her heart.  Her heart that hadn’t let her say those three words.  There was no way she could forgive herself for saying that to Stiles, even if she hadn’t meant to.             

This always worried Lydia, that Stiles felt more strongly for her than she for him. She didn’t know if she loved Stiles yet. Her “think I love you” words may have or may not have been the truth, but Stiles shouldn’t have heard them. It was certainly obvious he was aware of how she felt--or her uncertainty, really--without her having to say them out loud.  She wished there was something she can say to take back those words. However, at this rate, saying anything else was certainly adding fuel to the fire.           

However, Stiles pulled her closer and she snuggled into him and his kisses, hoping the contact will distract her from the sickening feeling that consumed her.           

_Knock. Knock._            

“Uh...Stiles? Are you gonna get that?”             

He groaned, pulling away from her, leaving Lydia immediately with goosebumps from the cold.  She already missed the feel of his body against hers. “Sure, ask the naked guy to get the knock...wherever it came from…” He looked around.           

“Half naked,” Lydia corrected. She gestured to herself. “I’m the one completely naked here, in case you haven’t noticed. This blanket comes off and I’m out there for everyone to see. If that’s what you want…” She shrugged and made to take off the blanket and get up.           

“No, nope! Not necessary at all...in this...particular situation…” Stiles said, momentarily distracted by her naked body.  He sat up  and quickly threw on his undershirt and pants before hopping out of the Jeep.           

“You called?”

Lydia peeked out the window to see the source of the muffled sound. It was a gruff voice of an older guy, about 65.             

“Um...yeah,” Stiles said, straightening his shirt.  “My car was making this weird rattling and pinging sound. And smoke was coming out of the hood as well…”           

“Spark plugs! I think we need new spark plugs,” Lydia said, stepping out of the Jeep and joining Stiles. She had pulled on his now mostly dry white collared t-shirt without thinking. It just barely reached her knees. If the guy had any doubts what they were doing before, he definitely knew now. Whoops. “I mean, at least I think so,” she added meekly, when the guy saw her, frowning.           

“I’ll go look,” he said.  Lydia heard him mumble, “Kids,” under his breath before walking away.           

Lydia giggled but stopped when she saw Stiles glaring at her. “Really? _Really_? You come out wearing that?”             

“Yeah, I realize now it wasn’t appropriate…”           

“Wasn’t appropriate? Yeah, you got that right. Seriously, Lydia, I don’t know what you were thinking--”           

“I wasn’t thinking, obviously, Stiles,” Lydia snapped. “I made a mistake, deal with it.  I deal with all your stupid mistakes. Does _house key_ ring a bell?” She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.           

“Oh, ok,” Stiles said, putting his hands on his hips, “are we really going to go there?”           

“Yes, we are going to go there--”           

“Uh...kids? I’m gonna have to tow the Jeep here so we can get it fixed up for you. Girl was right, needs new spark plugs.” He was impressed, giving Lydia a nod of approval. Lydia smirked.  She knew she was right all along.           

“Ok, small problem,” Stiles said. “We kind of have a rehearsal dinner to get to.  Is there any way you can get us there?”  
           

“It’s at Willow Walks, at the corner of Lancaster and Dornan. The new place, with the walkway lined with all those lilies?  It’s not too far from here actually. The church where the wedding rehearsal is right next door,” Lydia said.           

“Yes, I know that place. Swankiest place in town.”   He paused, looking at Lydia, scanning her from head to toe.           

“You know, we would really appreciate it if you could give us a ride,” Lydia said, sidling up to him and placing a hand on his arm.  She gave it a squeeze, then tossed her hair over her shoulder for good measure.

“Of course,” he said, gruffly.  

“Oh, thank you so much,” Lydia said, batting her eyelashes at him. She heard a muffled strangled noise from Stiles behind her, but ignored him.           

Once Lydia changed into a more suitable outfit, Stiles and Lydia followed the guy, whose name tag read “Ned” toward his truck.  Stiles’ mouth set in a firm line and he placed his hand protectively over her back.           

“This guy is disgusting,” Stiles said crossly. “I mean, how old is he? Like sixty?”           

Lydia rolled her eyes. “He’s a guy, Stiles, all guys are disgusting.” Stiles gave her an offended look. “Yes, even you. But don’t worry, you are the _least_ disgusting guy I’ve ever dated.”           

“Oh, well, that makes me feel _so_ much better,” Stiles said.  He made a funny face at her.  Lydia laughed and Stiles gave her a kiss before it even completely escaped her mouth.           

They settled themselves in the cab of Ned’s truck while he worked to set up the towing of the Jeep.           

“We’ll be a little late,” Lydia said, “but hopefully no more than a half hour. It’s approximately an hour from here to the rehearsal dinner, give or take 15 minutes for traffic.”  She wrung her hands in her lap. Lydia hoped she could hide it in the folds of her skirt, but of course Stiles being Stiles, noticed her anxiety.           

“Hey, hey,” Stiles said gently.  He grabbed her hands.   “We’ll get there, don’t worry. I’m sure your cousin won’t mind.”           

“Oh, I know Tara won’t mind. But it’s Alexa, her sister, I’m worried about.”           

“Isn’t it Tara’s rehearsal dinner?” Stiles asked.           

“Yes, but Alexa is the biggest bitch. She hates me.”           

“Ah,” Stiles said, “she’s one of _those_ girls.”           

“Yeah.” Lydia sudden got a rush of nausea. Stiles must have noticed because he squeezed both her hands with his large one.  They sat there like that in silence, to which Lydia appreciated. She didn’t really feel like talking right now.           

Ned finally joined them in the cab of the truck, with Stiles glaring at him as Ned made no effort to move away from Lydia in the front seat. Ned was pressed up close to Lydia, even though he had room on the other side. Ned ignored him.           

Ned wasn’t interested in making conversation, which Lydia was rather glad. Instead, he played oldies songs the whole way there, with Stiles side-eyeing Ned and huffing every few minutes.           

Much to Lydia’s relief, they eventually arrived at Willow Walks. It was a beautiful brick building with tall white columns in front, surrounded by weeping willows and gardens of flowers. The walkways were all lined with lilies, the wind making them look like they were floating in air.           

Stiles payed Ned and discussed where they could later pick up the car. Lydia stood by while Stiles then went to get the luggage out of the car, which he insisted on and refused Lydia’s help.           

Ned watched him struggle with the suitcases. “You know,” he began, startling Lydia. “You two, you make a good couple. You bicker a lot, but that’s healthy...Just know, it won’t be easy. But then, the best relationships usually aren’t.”  He nodded gruffly while Lydia just stared at him in shock.  She had barely heard him talk that whole evening, so this was certainly a surprise. “One thing I know though, these kind of relationships are certainly worth fighting for. Never forget that.  Especially with that boy. He’s crazy about you, that much is obvious.”           

Lydia flushed, feeling rather ashamed at how she had treated Stiles recently.  He certainly hadn’t deserved it.           

Stiles came back and Ned gave him a final handshake, before disappearing into the truck. But not before subtly giving Lydia a wink, which luckily for him, Stiles hadn’t seen.           

“You okay?” Stiles asked. Lydia still stood there, frozen.  Ned’s words had shaken her to the core and she couldn’t stop thinking about her and Stiles’ relationship. What were they really doing?  Why did she always have to mess everything up?  Stiles loved her. But did she love him? How was she supposed to _know_ these things?           

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Lydia said, smiling up at him.  Or at least trying to.           

Stiles lovingly tucked a strand of hair behind her hair. “There, much better,” he said, giving her a peck on the lips. “This is all the luggage, right?” Stiles pointed to the two suitcases and Lydia’s purse..           

Lydia nodded.  She grabbed a suitcase from Stiles and they walked up the front steps together. Immediately, a guy who introduced themselves as Sam relieved them of their bags. Stiles went with Sam to put the luggage away. Lydia opened the doors and was immediately bombarded with laughter.  The laughter of one particular person she couldn’t stand: Alexa.           

“Oh, well, look at who it is! Half hour late too! How convenient. The world always did revolve around you, Lydia.” Alexa cackled again as she approached Lydia. She tottered on approximately 4 inch heels, making Lydia feel small, both literally and figuratively. Sure, she wore heels herself, but it wasn’t enough to make them equal height.           

“I’m so sorry,” Lydia said, “Stiles’ Jeep broke down. We got here as soon as we could.  I texted Tara to let her know.”           

“Oh, I’m sure you did,” Alex said, in a tone of voice implying that she thought otherwise. She was making such a scene that people were turning their heads to look at her.           

She walked closer to Lydia and picked up the skirt of her dress with two fingers. “Way to make an appearance,” she commented. Lydia’s dress, while different than the one she wore earlier, was slightly wrinkled from sitting in the truck for so long.             

“Well, you know me,” Lydia said, snatching the dress from her and then running her hands over the skirt in an effort to straighten it out a bit.  “What other way is there?”              

Alexa didn’t hear her, she was distracted by something--or someone, behind Lydia. Her eyes widened.           

“And who is this?” She sauntered away from Lydia, who whirled around. Stiles stood there, confused. He was rather bedraggled as well. His collared shirt was half untucked and wrinkled and there were scuff marks on his pants from carrying the luggage. Stiles’ hair stuck up in all directions.  Lydia’s heart tugged at the sight of him.  That was Stiles. _Her_ Stiles.           

“Hey, the name is Stiles,” he said, putting out a hand. Alexa ignored it and Stiles awkwardly reached up to scratch his ear instead. He cleared his throat.           

“Alexa,” she said by way of introduction, as she circled him, her eagle eyes raking him up and down. “Well, Lydia, what happened to Jackson? I mean, no offense, but this so called ‘Stiles’ is no Jackson.  An apparent downgrade, that’s for sure. What a shame...”           

Lydia glared at her. Stiles stiffened and his shoulders tensed as Alexa came closer.  “I didn’t know these type of guys were your thing.  But you know, he’s kinda cute I guess, if you like that nerdy dorky type who DON’T drive Porsches, but rather, shitty Jeeps, as I’ve heard.” She tilted her head, shrugging.  “I’d still do him, though.” She reached up and grabbed Stiles’ upper arm, squeezing.

“I mean, he fills out these clothes pretty good, don’t you think?  Especially down here.”  She reached down and hiked up Stiles’ pants, obviously eyeing his crotch.  Stiles turned red and attempted to shift away, but Alexa reached out to grab his arms again, holding him in place.           

“Well, _unlucky_ for you, I’m the one who gets to do him on a daily basis,” Lydia said. “Too bad,” she added with mock sympathy.           

“Daily basis, huh?  Somehow I find that hard to believe. I mean, you couldn’t even keep Jackson, and you two supposedly fucked like bunnies, right?”           

Lydia and Stiles’ eyes met. His eyes widened. She flushed. Sure, her and Jackson had sex a lot, but Alexa didn’t need to rub it in.  But of course, this was Alexa and she would do anything she could to make Lydia embarrassed and screw things up with her and Stiles.           

Lydia opened her mouth to say something, _anything,_ when they were interrupted by a shriek.           

“Lydia!” Tara ran over, looking radiant in a powder blue sundress.  “It’s been too long!” She grabbed Lydia in for a warm hug. Lydia breathed a sigh of relief. Saved by Tara, Alexa’s older sister, the _nice_ one.           

She suddenly noticed Stiles over Lydia’s shoulder and said, “You must be Stiles,” she said, bringing him for a hug herself. Lydia had texted Tara a bit about Stiles, so she knew they were going out.           

“Wow, Lydia, he’s cute!” She stepped back from him to get another look.  “I approve!  Isn’t he cute, Alexa?”           

Alexa just grunted and stalked away. Tara smiled at the two of them standing together. “I’m so glad you guys made it safe and sound, despite your car breaking down.”           

“Me too,” Lydia said. “I’m so sorry about being late.”           

“Don’t worry about it,” Tara said with a wave of her hand. “Shit happens. I’m just glad you’re here now. Come, I want to introduce you to the groomsman to your bridesmaid.  He’s _so_ nice and _so_ gay,” she said, with a laugh. Lydia laughed with her as she let Tara pull her down through the pews the guy, Sam, who had helped Stiles with the luggage earlier.

            The wedding rehearsal turned out well. Lydia loved Sam.  He was a close friend of Tara’s fiancee, Evan. The entire time, Sam cracked jokes during all the standing around.           

“I see you and Alexa don’t get along,” he commented after Alexa turned around from her spot at the front of the line to glare at Lydia.           

“It’s that obvious?” Lydia asked. She sighed.           

“Hang in there, hun. I know it’s hard, but geez, how else are you supposed to enjoy the wedding?”           

“I have no idea.” Lydia shrugged. “Live in denial I guess, that my cousin hates my guts.”           

“If you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to avoid her.”           

“Believe me, I’m trying.”           

“If you need anything, I’ll be around,” Sam said. “I mean, I _am_ walking you down the aisle after all.”           

Lydia smiled at him. “Thanks, you’re sweet. Between you and Stiles, I think I’ll be ok.  Or at least, I _should_ be.”           

“Stiles?” Sam questioned.           

“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend. I brought him as my date,” Lydia said, pointing him out to Sam. Stiles sat in one of the church pews, watching the rehearsal. When he saw Lydia looking at him, he waved. She waved back.           

“Man, he is cu-ute,” Sam said.  “You’ve got good taste.  Lucky girl.”           

Lydia grinned. “It took me a while to realize it, but yeah, I definitely am.”  She looked at Stiles again. He was now playing with his shirt cuffs, being his adorable self.  

The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly, besides Alexa’s constant glares. Later, everyone met up a mere few yards away to Willow Walks for the dinner.           

The dinner was a buffet, and both Lydia and Stiles piled their plates high with steaming hot food. They found seats together and were joined by Sam, who immediately hit it off with Stiles.           

They were deep in discussion about Dungeons and Dragons, when someone took the vacated chair next to Lydia. It was Alexa, unfortunately.           

“What makes you think you can sit here?”           

“Oh, bite me,” Alexa sneered. “Anyway, I just was thinking, did you tell Stiles you love him at all? I know you of all people, seem to struggle with that.”           

“That’s none of your business,” Lydia said, quickly focusing her attention on the penne alla vodka in front of her. She pursed her lips.           

“I’ll take that as a no,” Alexa said smugly. “Too bad, I am almost positive Stiles said it to you.”           

“I’m not talking to you about this,” Lydia said.           

“You know, Stiles deserves better than some bratty former popular girl who can’t give him the love he deserves.”           

Lydia tried to ignore her, but the words cut deep inside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stiles stiffen and his jaw clench. Oh god. What happened in the Jeep still was fresh in Lydia’s memory. Stiles’ as well, clearly.  Did Alexa really have to go here? Of course she did.           

“What are you trying to say here?” Lydia whirled back to Alexa, who was calmly cutting her chicken piccata into tiny pieces.           

“I see that I hit a nerve,” She said, smiling. “I’m saying,” she added, lowering her voice. “The Lydia Martin I knew and loved would never date someone like _him._ Who are you trying to kid? You will always be a bitch, like me. Us bitches have to stick together. Plus, I liked you better that way.”           

Lydia snorted. “Funny that you seem to care now of all times. It’s not like we were ever friends.  Ever.”           

“Maybe not, but even I can see that you’ve changed. But remember, once a bitch, always a bitch. And bitches don’t date nerds.  It’s not going to work out. And obviously, trouble in paradise has already started.” She smirked and left the table, taking her plate with her.           

Was Alexa right? Did she and Stiles really not belong together? Was she still a bitch?  Lydia stared at her plate, suddenly not feeling like eating right now.  She knew Alexa was doing this on purpose, but Lydia couldn’t help but think that regardless, Alexa had made some very good points. And it wasn’t like Lydia hadn’t already thought of them before.           

“Are you ok?” Stiles asked, noticing her staring sullenly at her plate.  His ears were bright red, jaw moving steadily up and down as his teeth worked at the inside of his cheek. He had totally heard their entire conversation, but had tried to ignore it.           

“Yeah, just tired.”             

Stiles seemed to accept her excuse, but Lydia could see the doubt on his face.           

Later that night, Lydia paced in front of Stiles, who laid on the bed in his pajamas. Sometimes, having a mom who didn’t pay attention to you was a good thing. Her mom, so wrapped in work, hadn’t even questioned if Lydia and Stiles were sharing a room and bed at the hotel. The Sheriff was the complete opposite, however. Stiles had told a white lie and said he gotten a room with a twin beds, when in fact, the room had a King-sized bed.  While the Sheriff hadn’t been entirely pleased about sharing a room, he was placated by the whole twin bed situation.  Luckily, Stiles had popped the question in the middle of one of the Sheriff’s all-nighters working on a case, and so the Sheriff was distracted enough not to notice his only son lying.

She had just changed into her own pajamas and should have joined him under the comforters, but didn’t feel like doing so just yet.

“Ugh, I just want to _scream_!” Lydia threw up her arms.

“Oh my god! Someone’s gonna die? _Here_?” Stiles suddenly sat upright in bed and looked around wildly.  He kicked around the sheets in immediate despair. “Or is there a dead body? Where? _Where is it_?” His voice seemed to increase a whole octave by the end of the sentence. “Seriously, Lydia.  What are we still doing here? We _have_ to do something.  I have to call Scott.  Where’s my phone?”  He jumped up and frantically patted the sheets, searching for his phone.

Lydia rolled her eyes, but her mouth twitched. “I was talking about Alexa,” Lydia pointed out. “She’s pissing me off.”

“Oh, that.” Stiles said, embarrassed. He settled back down against the pillows.  “God, do you know what that kind of talk does to a guy like me?”

Lydia just ignored him and into the bathroom to brush her teeth. “I mean, I just don’t know exactly how to handle her, you know?”

She heard Stiles “Hmm” in response from the other room.

“Should I tell her off once and for all? It could make the wedding even more uncomfortable than it is now.   Not to mention, you uncomfortable as well. I know you are, you can admit it. I just...I don’t know.  Stiles, what do you think?” She spit out the toothpaste and left the bathroom.  “Stiles?”

Stiles had fallen asleep.  Lydia pulled the comforter on top of him, making sure there were plenty of blankets underneath. Stiles had enough sleepless nights as it was, without waking up cold.  Lydia joined him in bed, and laid down facing him.

Stiles appeared so peaceful and so un-tormented. She liked to think he was having good dreams when he was this deep in sleep, like right now. She snuggled up closer to him, watching his chest and fall. She gently grabbed his hand, the one that wasn’t on his chest. He didn’t even move.

Whenever he fell asleep before her, she liked to watch him sleep. Lydia would count his moles. She enjoyed the curve of his lips, as they opened a little bit for each breath.  She marvelled at his long thick eyelashes.  But in the end, she always came back to the moles.  Those moles. Lydia counted as many as she could until she found herself slowly falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the morning of the wedding. Laughter bounced against the walls, punctuated by squeals and shrieks of joy, all from the bridesmaids of course.  Tara thought it would be fun if she and all of her bridesmaids got ready for the wedding together. Lydia stared around at all of them, zipping up each other’s dresses, fixing their hair, applying their makeup.  She faced herself in one of the many full length mirrors provided by the hotel for this very occasion.  The dresses were thin spaghetti straps, lavender, with ruching on the bodice and the skirt skimming just the top of her knees.  

Alexa suddenly arrived, making a beeline to her sister and knocking Lydia’s shoulder as she did so.  

Lydia tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, but each one got caught in her throat.  Alexa was just plain mean, that much was obvious. But her comments from yesterday still rang around in Lydia’s head. She couldn’t let them go.  Girls like Lydia truly _didn’t_ go for guys like Stiles. Were they even compatible? Sure, Allison and the rest of the pack thought so. And Ned. But what did a bunch of teenagers and a creepy old guy know about love, really?  They were bias.  The pack was because they were all friends. And Ned because he thought Lydia was pretty.  Lydia tried to still her rapidly beating heart by taking deep breaths but it didn’t work.  The room, full of giggling women, felt suffocating. She had to get out.

Quietly, she slipped out the door and ran into the nearest bathroom down the hall.  She collapsed against the far wall.  She sat there, thinking about Alexa and crying.  Lydia hated that she let Alexa get to her. The Old Lydia would never have done so. But this Lydia, well, she always felt she had a lot more to lose now. A lot more to lose.  She was reminded of this everyday when she looked at her friends.  And the one missing from the pack. Allison.  Lydia lost Allison, which was bad enough.  If she lost Stiles...Lydia didn’t even like to think about that.  Stiles was the most important person in her life.  Screw Alexa for making her doubt herself.

The door to the bathroom opened. It was Tara. She was dressed in a white slip, but everything else, her white heels, make-up and hair-do were all wedding ready.  This was definitely a good thing, the wedding was in an hour.

“Lydia,” she said, appalled. “I come in here to take a breather and I see you like this? You look beautiful, by the way. I’m so happy I choose the lavender. It’s a great color on everyone.”

Lydia nodded.

“Honey, you’re ruining your makeup,” she said. Lydia still didn’t say anything. Tara knelt down beside her. “It’s Alexa, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Lydia said quietly. “She’s basically me. And her pointing out all the flaws between me and Stiles, it makes me hate myself. How could he be with someone like me? I’m horrible.”

“You and Alexa are two very different people, Lydia,” Tara said. “Don’t ever think for a minute you are the same, because you aren’t. The mere fact that you are sitting here, crying on a bathroom floor, while Alexa is standing in the other room, pouting in the mirror says enough about the difference.”

Tara’s eyes were bright and warm as they regarded Lydia, the total opposite of Alexa’s cold ones. While the sisters  shared the same strawberry blonde hair similar to Lydia’s, and blue eyes, upon closer inspection, the difference was astounding. Tara overall radiated happiness and laughter, while Alexa was bitter and _mean._  

Lydia felt herself calm a bit in Tara’s comforting presence.  But what about Stiles?  Tara must have read Lydia’s expression because she said next, “And as for Stiles? Well, that boy would go to the farthest corners of the world for you if he could. You can see it in his eyes. It’s quite obvious. Lydia, you have nothing to worry about.  If Stiles had such an issue, he wouldn’t still be with you.  You have a great head on your shoulders, as does Stiles. You make a great, not to mention, beautiful couple. You really do.”

Tara dug around in a tote bag at her feet that Lydia hadn’t noticed before and handed her kleenex.

“I’ve been carrying these around all day. Everywhere I turn, there are people crying in my arms. Granted, this is definitely for a different reason than the others, but still.” Tara shrugged. “Now come here and let me fix your makeup. I have emergency makeup in here too.” She dragged the bag closer to her and carefully applied the makeup to Lydia’s eyes.

“You know,” Tara said, “Alexa is my sister and all, but even I admit she’s a bitch. Hang in there, Lydia. You have so much going for you. Don’t let her get into your head.  Promise me?”

Lydia nodded, a sob catching in her throat. She swallowed hard as Tara got up from the floor, stuffing the makeup essentials into her bag.

“Well, I got a date waiting for me at the altar,” Tara said with a wink. “Need to start getting on my wedding dress! I’ll see you out there.”

Lydia continued to sit there, staring sullenly at the wall.  There was a knock on the door a few minutes later.

“Lydia?” Stiles said, opening the door. He looked around for Lydia and appeared astonished seeing her on the floor. “Lydia, what’s wrong?  Tara told me you were in here.”

Lydia shook her head. She was afraid to open her mouth, cause if she did,  the makeup that Tara spent time fixing would smudge again from her tears. Stiles joined her on the floor and after a moment, wrapped her arms around her for a hug. They stayed like for a few minutes. Lydia inhaled the smell of Stiles’ aftershave and his shampoo, smiling when she realized that he had used hers. He must have forgotten to bring his.

She pulled away, hiccupping, and they sat like that in silence. Stiles held her hand and softly rubbed his thumb along the inside of her palm. Lydia always loved it when he did this. Depending on the mood, he would make it sensual, but obviously this was not the time or place. Instead, Lydia found it comforting and his touch, as always, soothed her.  She liked to think of it as part of their “emotional tether.” Such simple acts of touch just seemed to be magic for her soul. Stiles was her cure to the banshee darkness that sometimes consumed her.

After several minutes, Lydia finally asked what had been bothering her all this time, “Why me?  Why do you even like me?  How could you love someone like me?  How could you love _me_?”  She felt her eyes fill up with tears and hated herself for it.

“Whoa,” Stiles said, taken aback.  “So many questions!”  He hesitated. Then said slowly,“Well...isn’t it obvious?”

“Not really.”  Lydia looked away and blinking back more tears, stared at the floor, focusing on the gray tiles.           

“Hey, hey.  Look at me. Lydia, look at me.” Lydia lifted her eyes to Stiles, whose hands immediately went up to wipe away her tears.  He cupped her face in his hands. “Because you’re _you_ , Lydia.”           

Lydia couldn’t help it, she snorted.  Then she raised her eyebrows at him. “Really, Stiles? How descriptive.  I totally get it now.”           

“Ok, ok,” Stiles said, adjusting himself so he now faced her, sitting cross-legged. “There’s more to the story.  You really want to hear it?”           

Lydia nodded her head.           

“Well, as you know, it all started in 3rd grade. I sat behind you in Ms. Foster’s class.  As all crushes start, I thought you were the prettiest girl I had ever  seen. I had seen you from a distance before, but being up close in class, well, that’s a whole another story. It was that simple, I had a crush on you. But I suppose my feelings got stronger, or as strong as they can get for a nine year old, when you stood up for Tiffany that time.  Do you remember that?”          

  “Not really,” she said, “I remember Tiffany a little bit, though.”

“Tiffany was new to class, she was the girl who always wore her hair in two short braids? One time, she wore them in like little buns, like Princess Leia, which I thought I was always kinda cool...can you believe kids made fun of her for it, I mean--”

“Stiles,” Lydia interrupted. “The point?”

“Oh, right. Anyway…” She squeezed his hand to urge him on. “It was a month into school. Ms. Foster introduced her and she wanted her to sit next to you, Lydia. On her way to the desk, Tiffany tripped on her own two feet. Tommy, the dick that he was back then before he moved away, thank God, made fun of her.  You turned around in your seat, glared at him and said, ‘Back off, or I’ll tell everyone how it took you until the first grade to be potty trained.’ The class went into an uproar and then you were like, ‘Oh, did I just say that? My bad. But our moms talk, you know, and I hear every word they say.’ Well, that shut him up.”

Stiles laughed and Lydia felt herself smiling as well. That _was_ pretty funny that she said that.

“You were never one to be messed with, even then. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t have a heart. I remember a week later, you were actually sitting at a table with Tommy, I guess he was friends with one of your other friends and he had forgotten his lunch. I watched you give him half of your ham and cheese sandwich and you said, ‘You’re lucky that I don’t like ham and cheese all that much.’ But regardless of how he treated Tiffany, you still shared your lunch.  I just never forgot that.” Stiles shrugged.  

“And then after that...well, let’s just say that’s all it took for me to really notice you.  That, and the fact you knew every single answer to every single question in class. I admired you from afar ever since.”  He shrugged, his cheeks flushing.  Lydia would have appreciated the cuteness of it even more if she wasn’t so upset.

“But people change, Stiles. That was all the way back in third grade. Now I look at Alexa and just see myself.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.  Sure, you may have changed, but who doesn’t? We all change, that’s life. But no matter what, there was always good in you, Lydia. I saw it then and I continued to see it all those years.  You may have gone down the wrong path for a while and lost sight of who you were, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. We all make mistakes.  What’s great is that you realize those mistakes and are striving to be a better person because of them.  And you’re not like Alexa, trust me.”  

“But does it even really matter?  Alexa is just like the old me.  I’m not proud of that girl I was or am. I’m reminded of that girl whenever I see Alexa.  Especially when she’s humiliating me about our relationship. And then I think about how I treated you all those years, and I just feel horrible.”

“Lydia, it _does_ matter. But not in the way you think. Even you acknowledging this is a big deal and amazing, cause you are more self-aware than ever of yourself and those around you.  I know you’re probably not used to this kind of thing, but don’t let this get to you.  Especially Alexa.  Put all that in the past and try to leave it behind you. It doesn’t do anyone any good dwelling on the past. Believe me, I know. It’s hard to do, but the best we _can_ do is try, right?   And as for us...well, don’t feel bad. You didn’t owe me anything.  Just because I thought you pretty for like, forever, and an awesome person, doesn’t mean I deserved to have you go out with me.”

“It doesn’t make me feel any less guilty about it.”

“Seriously, don’t feel guilty.”  
           

“But I do! And it just kills me.  Everything that I did that hurt others.  I can’t believe I was that girl.”  Lydia snorted. “‘The mean girl who has everything’--or acts like it, anyway.”

“Who cares?  You aren’t that third grader. That’s ok. And you’re not Alexa either. Which is ok. More than ok, even, cause she’s a bitch.  You aren’t the girl you think you are anymore. You are better than that.Maybe you _used_ to be that girl, but she doesn’t exist now.  And that’s the important thing.  By the way, I like this better, improved version of Lydia. Plus, this Lydia was the one who gave me the time of day.”

Lydia gave him a small smile at that.  .

“There’s one thing that you have that she doesn’t have, though,” Stiles said.

“And what’s that?” Lydia said.

“Me,” Stiles said, “and I’m not going anywhere.”

Tears rolled down Lydia’s cheeks, but Stiles ignored them. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her, right there in the bathroom, underneath the fluorescent lights. Lydia felt his lips upon hers and began to feel more at peace. That was the effect that Stiles had on her. And he always will.           

“Now,” Stiles said, drawing back. “Don’t we have a wedding to go to?”           

“We certainly do,” Lydia said. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and took Stiles’ arm that he offered her. Side by side, they left the bathroom.           

The wedding party was lining up.  A make up artist frantically went up and down the line, making last minute changes to hair and make-up to those who needed it. Stiles gave Lydia’s hand a squeeze and said, “I’ll see you after the ceremony.”  She squeezed back and watched him disappear into the crowd.  Immediately the make-up artist pounced on Lydia, tut-tutting at her smudged makeup and lack of lip gloss.          

 “Hello, my lady,” Sam said, appearing at her side and kissing her hand.

“Why, hello to you, how lovely to see you,” Lydia said, playing along and curtseying. She giggled.           

“Ugh, losers,” Alexa said, shoving them aside as she walked up the line.. Alexa was obviously the maid of honor and her position was of course in front.           

“FYI, I’m actually proud to be a loser!” Sam mimicked Alexa’s by saying “loser” in a high pitched voice and then placed a hand on his hip, jutting it out and staring after Alexa, in a kind of battle stance. Lydia laughed so hard she snorted.           

“God, you’re hilarious,” she said.             

“I try, hun,” Sam said, grinning back.  “It’s all in the attitude.  Keep positive. Find the humor in things...” They spent the rest of the time leading up to the ceremony, joking around.  Lydia’s anxiety from earlier melted and instead, excitement kicked in. She knew nothing could go wrong with Sam being her date down the aisle          

Finally, it was time.  Everyone got into their position in line. Lydia could just make out Tara at the very back, in her beautiful strapless dress.  She had her veil on, so Lydia could only just make out her face; obviously filled with anticipation and joy. Lydia could feel excitement building in her stomach. This was it! Her cousin was getting married.           

The wedding march started and slowly the bridesmaids and groomsmen went through the church doors into the actual church itself. Everyone turned to stare at them. Stiles was sitting halfway down in the pews, in an aisle seat. She met his eyes and he winked, then gave her a thumbs up, mouthing, “You look hot!”  He pretended to faint to which Lydia giggled and even Sam’s mouth twitched.           

They all made it to the altar without a hitch. Now it was time for the bride. Tara arrived, looking demure in her mermaid gown, which perfectly highlighted her thin body. Silence filled the room as everyone watched with bated breath as Tara seemingly glided toward Evan.  After the vows, Tara and Evan kissed, to which Lydia could no longer control the tears streaming down her cheeks.           

She wasn’t the only one. Lydia heard sniffles from behind her, loud ones especially coming from Sam.             

Once the ceremony was finished, she met up with Stiles afterward. His eyes looked red and he tried to sniff discreetly, though it didn’t do any good because Lydia clearly heard him.           

“Crying?” Lydia asked. Her eyes were still wet, too.           

“Nah,” Stiles said. “Some old woman just sank her talon-like claws into my arm on her way out the pew. Hurt like hell.”           

“Uh-huh,” Lydia said, trying to hide her smile. She knew Stiles was lying.  He knew that she knew, but ignored it.             

“Anyway, let’s go. I’m starving and am looking forward to stuffing my face with wedding cake.”           

“Truer words could never have been spoken,” Lydia said, straight-faced.  Stiles looked at her fondly, gave her a quick kiss, and led her out of the church, following the crowd before them.           

Of course once they reached the reception, Alexa made a beeline straight for them.  Stiles and Lydia rolled their eyes at exactly the same time. Lydia would have appreciated this more if it wasn’t for the circumstances.           

This was luckily interrupted by Tara announcing, “Bouquet time, girls!”  Stiles nudged her in the arm.           

“Go,” he said.           

“Believe me, I don’t need any urging,” Lydia said. “I’ve never participated in one of these things before.”  She felt silly about being so excited about something so stupid. But what could she say? Lydia was a girl, afterall. Most girls dreamed about stuff like this.  And Lydia was most definitely that kind of girl, still, regardless of her banshee abilities and her all too frequent run-ins with anything supernatural .           

She joined the crowd of bridesmaids and other girls that attended the wedding. Tara held the bouquet of blue hydrangeas, delphinium, and white lilies out before her. She turned around about three times before she stopped and tossed the bundle over her head.           

It all happened so quickly that Lydia barely realized what happened next.  One minute her arms were high above her, hands outstretched and the next, she held the flowers, the petals soft in her fingertips.  The girls tittered as they all turned envious looks in Lydia’s direction. She was appalled. She caught the bouquet. She caught the bouquet!  Shecaughtthebouquet. !!!           

Tara cheered, “Go Lydia!” Then she turned back to her table to plant a kiss on Evan. Lydia wandered through the crowd back to the table, girls commenting and touching her in congratulations over her success.           

“Well, well,” Stiles said, “Nice catch there, Mrs. Stilinski.” He brushed her cheek lightly with his lips. Lydia blushed.           

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” Lydia said. “Though don’t get me wrong, I would love to be Mrs. Stilinski.”  She suddenly felt shy about this and couldn’t quite meet his eyes.           

Stiles remained unfazed. “Fair enough,” he said, shrugging.  “We’re still in high school, after all.”           

They were waiting in line at the buffet to get their food, when Alexa appeared behind them.           

“I hope you aren’t planning your _Stydia_ wedding or anything,” Alexa said. “Everyone knows nerds and bitches don’t mix. When are you going to tell him that, Lydia? Huh?”           

Stiles made a face at Alexa. “Will you do me a favor?”  He paused for dramatic effect. “ _Shut up_!”           

“Make me,” Alexa sneered. Stiles rolled his eyes.           

“Oh god! I’m done with this stupid crap,” Stiles said, and speaking directly to Lydia, “I’m getting food.”  His jaw clenched as he side-stepped Alexa and clutching his plate extra tightly in his hands, piled it with baked ziti.           

“Why don’t you just break up with him? Why prolong the inevitable?” Alexa clearly wasn’t done until she got the last word.  Or created an absolute scene. Whichever came first, though Lydia knew that the latter was the preferable occurrence.           

Her hands clenched into fists and she could feel a vein throbbing in her neck.  Lydia felt anger rise within her, a giant uncontrollable tide.  That was it. She had it. SHE HAD IT. That might have been why she found herself doing what she did next.           

“BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!” Lydia shouted up at Alexa.   The words just flew out of her mouth, she hadn’t been expecting it.  It was almost like they had been in there, all along, waiting to come out, but only when deemed appropriate.  The words had a mind of their own.  Lydia didn’t understand how this could be a good time for anything like this, but unfortunately what was done was done.             

The band immediately stopped playing. She heard drum sticks falling and feedback from the microphone.  The conversation and chatter died down and there was a deafening silence. Utensils dropped onto plates and a few people cleared their throats nervously.  Everyone stared at her, awestruck at Lydia’s outburst. She turned bright red. Oh god. Did she really just say that? And that l _oud_?             

Lydia clapped a hand over her mouth, she was in disbelief. No, she didn’t just _say_ it, she actually _announced_ it, to like, the size equivalent of a small army.

Still, even though Alexa tottered in massive heels over Lydia, Lydia felt bigger than she ever had in her life. She had literally just screamed in Alexa’s face.  And she told the truth.  What she had perhaps known deep down inside her, but her own self-doubt and fear hid from her.  Alexa felt that uncertainty and fed off of it, making Lydia feel worse and more confused.  But now...Lydia felt good.Better than good. GREAT. It just sucked that this happened in front of a massive crowd of people.  She hadn’t really wanted an audience when she professed her love to Stiles.

“I-I love him,” Lydia said again, now softly.  She brought her hands up to her cheeks.  Oh god.  She felt extremely hot all of a sudden, as hundreds of pairs of eyes continued to fixate on her.  There was only one pair of eyes that mattered to her right now.  Her heart raced as she searched for those eyes in the crowd.  And finally, she found them. The soft brown eyes, on the one person who had ever really seen her.  The good and bad.  The one person who never judged her, who loved her no matter what. And now the only person in the room who  wasn’t staring at her like she had three heads.  He still held his plate full of pasta, wearing the biggest grin she had ever seen.

“Really?” He tentatively stepped toward her. She couldn’t blame him. Lydia had never outright admitted to Stiles that she loved him ever. This had been what caused her to be in this whole mess to begin with.

Lydia wanted to show him. She absolutely _had_ to. So she pulled him toward her for a passionate kiss right there on the dance floor, sending the plate flying out of his hands and crashing to the floor, luckily just barely missing their feet.

“So  I’ve said it countless other times, but I’ll say it once again. I love you, too,” Stiles said, once they came up for air.  He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled stupidly at her.  He kissed her once more.  

Their “audience” cheered at the spectacle and Lydia noticed that Tara and Evan seemed the most excited. She blushed, embarrassed. Once upon a time, Lydia lived for public displays of affection. Now, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  How things changed, huh?

Still, this was an exception, for sure.  How could people not kiss after declaring their “I love yous?”

Alexa glowered at the two of them but both Lydia and Stiles ignored her.

“You love me,” Stiles said again few moments later in amazement, with the biggest smile Lydia had ever seen on his face.  “You really really love me.”

“Yes, I do. I love you. I really really love you,” Lydia said, pulling him closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. “What, you didn’t believe me before?”

“It’s just...You love me,” Stiles repeated, staring at her awestruck. “Lydia Martin loves me and literally just said so.  Multiple times.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Stiles, please shut up.” And before he could protest, she kissed him again.

ward her for a passionate kiss right there on the dance floor, sending the plate flying out of his hands and crashing to the floor, luckily just barely missing their feet.

“So  I’ve said it countless other times, but I’ll say it once again. I love you, too,” Stiles said, once they came up for air.  He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled stupidly at her.  He kissed her once more.  

Their “audience” cheered at the spectacle and Lydia noticed that Tara and Evan seemed the most excited. She blushed, embarrassed. Once upon a time, Lydia lived for public displays of affection. Now, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  How things changed, huh?

Still, this was an exception, for sure.  How could people not kiss after declaring their “I love yous?”

Alexa glowered at the two of them but both Lydia and Stiles ignored her.

“You love me,” Stiles said again few moments later in amazement, with the biggest smile Lydia had ever seen on his face.  “You really really love me.”

“Yes, I do. I love you. I really really love you,” Lydia said, pulling him closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. “What, you didn’t believe me before?”

“It’s just...You love me,” Stiles repeated, staring at her awestruck. “Lydia Martin loves me and literally just said so.  Multiple times.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Stiles, please shut up.” And before he could protest, she kissed him again.


	5. Chapter 5

“I think I dropped the keys,” Stiles said.  It was Tuesday night and they just left a two hour study stint at the library.  Due to the wedding the past weekend, the both of them were a bit behind on the readings for their AP classes (Stiles: AP World History and AP Psychology, Lydia: AP English and AP Biology).  Stiles had invited Lydia over for some post-studying take out at his place before he drove her home...or before they did...other stuff. The only obstacle? Getting into his house.

He padded the pockets of his pockets and got down on his hands and knees right there on the front stoop of his house.  “Damn...it...”

“Somehow, this doesn’t surprise me at all,” Lydia said, leaning against the doorway.  Stiles lifted his head and crossed his eyes at her in response; she laughed.

Suddenly, Lydia noticed something in his hand, a glint of silver. Stiles moved his legs into a kneeling position before her. Odd.  What the heck was going on?  It wasn’t...no, it _couldn’t_ be. They were still in high school!  Lydia was speechless.  Just because she said she loved him, didn’t mean--

“Lydia,” he said, interrupting her thoughts, “would you do me the honor of accepting this house key?”  He goofily grinned at her

“Oh my god,” Lydia said, bringing her hands to her mouth in surprise. It took everything in her not to burst out laughing.  This was too funny, seeing Stiles do this over a key.  He raised his eyebrows and thrust the key out further to her.  

“Of course,” she hastily added.  She grabbed the key from him and turned it over in her hand, feeling the jagged edges scrape her palm in the process.

“I had another copy made. It turned out Malia lost hers.” He rolled his eyes. “Never gave any valuables to a were-coyote.  They lose everything.  Not to mention, they get _really_ defensive and aggressive when you yell at them about such things. I still have the claw marks on my arm to prove it.”  Stiles pulled up his sleeve. “See this?  This is for you, you know.”

“It certainly was a sacrifice,” Lydia dead-panned. “Thank you,” she said these two words sincerely.

“Of course.  I would do anything for you, you know that.”  Stiles gently took her hand with the key and guided it to the lock.  His hand was warm in hers when he turned it, despite the coldness of the silver metal.  He smiled at her now, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear with his other hand.

I love you,” Lydia said to him. “I love you.”  Stiles’ smile grew broader.

“You have no idea,  it feels really good to hear you say that.  Again.”  His eyes latched onto hers and Lydia was instantly mesmerized, as always.  “And you know, I love you, too. But then, you’ve known that for like, forever, obviously.  Nothing new.”  Lydia smiled up at Stiles and reached up to pull his head down so she could give him a kiss.  They stumbled through the doorway (or rather, Stiles, he tripped on the welcome mat) their lips still somehow pressed together.

“Did I mention that my dad is away? The _whole_ night? And next morning?” Stiles could barely get the words out between the kisses.

“That much is evident,” Lydia said, giggling as they tripped down the hallway to Stiles’ bedroom.  So much for the take-out dinner Stiles had originally planned.

Somehow, they managed to strip each other’s clothes off in the process, leaving a trail of items in their wake. Stiles’ t-shirt came off in the front foyer.  Lydia’s dress was unzipped and strewn against the wall by Stiles’ impressive throwing arm. Pants tossed aside near the doorway of Stiles’ room.  Now Stiles was left in his boxers; Lydia in her bra and panties.   She pushed Stiles down on his bed and climbed up on top of him. She paused, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed together.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Stiles said. Her long hair hung over one shoulder. Stiles combed one hand through it as his gaze raked over her face.   The other hand gently cupped her cheek.             

“I know,” Lydia said matter-of-factly, enjoying Stiles’ smile at those words. “But thank you.”           

“Always so modest,” Stiles said sarcastically. He then let out a soft chuckle.           

“What? I said thank you,” Lydia said, laughter in her voice. “But you better be careful, you’re spoiling me with all your “beautiful” comments. I don’t think I’ve ever had a boy tell me I was beautiful as many times as you have...It always used to surprise me to hear it, to be honest. Not anymore though.  You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself.”

Stiles stared at her. “Really? Well, all the more I should then. Because you _are_ beautiful, Lydia. Whether you are all wet from being out in the rain, hanging around in my t-shirt, or wearing a fancy dress. You’re beautiful.  And you always will be, no matter what.”  There was a pause. “Wow, sorry, that totally didn’t sound cheesy or anything.”           

Lydia blushed. Even though she always pretended to be, she honestly never tired of Stiles’ comments.  Stiles wasn’t quite finished yet, though, all cheesiness aside.     

“Seriously, do you know when you’re the most beautiful? When you’re naked.”           

Lydia giggled as Stiles gently pushed her off of him and slowly situated on top of her.  His hands reached toward the clasp of her bra.             

“Ready for round #1?”           

“After all these compliments? You bet.”          

 

 

“Stiles, I hate you.” It was the next morning and sunlight streamed through Stiles’ blinds.  Normally, a groggy Lydia would have buried her head under the pillow at the sight, determined to get more shut-eye.  But...she and Stiles had already been up for a little while, occupied with something completely opposite from sleeping.           

“Funny, last night you couldn’t get enough of saying just the opposite?  What changed? The last 20 minutes of the really good sex?”           

“Yes.” Lydia giggled. “I just can’t even move right now.  So yeah, thanks for that.”           

“Anytime, Lydia. I enjoyed it too...obviously.” He winked at her.             

She shook her head, smirking. Stiles shifted his position, so Lydia snuggled up to his side, under the crook of his right arm, her favorite spot. Lydia pressed herself against him. Stiles grabbed hold of her hand and lazily played with her fingers.           

“Someday, that’s going to be us,” Stiles proclaimed.           

“Huh?” Stiles’ comment was totally random. Even for Stiles.           

“Tara and Evan. That’s going to be us. I just know it.”           

“I certainly hope  so,” Lydia said. She instantly regretted sounding so doubtful, but who knew what the future held for them?           

Stiles’ eyes hardened with determined. “No, I know so. It’s going to happen. Someday.”           

Lydia was taken aback by the sudden fierceness in the statement.  She wanted it though. She wanted what he wanted. Though she was nervous about them and their future, she still repeated the word back to him, hoping that maybe that will confirm it. Set it in stone. And make it come true.           

“Someday.”  She wished with all her might that it would become a reality. Lying there, next to Stiles, her fingers intertwined with his, it seemed possible. After all, if you had told Lydia two years ago that Stiles Stilinski would be her boyfriend and quite possibly the love of her life, she would have told them off right then and there for coming up with such a ridiculous idea in the first place.   And yet, look at her now.

Anything was certainly possible, after all.  Lydia had the one boy lying right next to her to prove it.  

She snuggled closer to Stiles and whispered into his ear, “I love you, Stiles Stilinski.”

Stiles brought up their clasped hands and kissed the top of hers. “I love you, Lydia Martin.”

And that was that.

 


End file.
